CH 195

As I glanced at Ridrian, he was smiling lightly at me and seeing how I was handling this. It appeared as though he was silently rooting for me, so I decided to put in a bit more effort.

“I’m sure Theres knew I would fulfill his duty no matter which path I took, which is why he chose me. I have faith in Theres.”

“Of course, we all have faith in Theres. And it’s not just about divine magic. If you aren’t familiar with the etiquette of the group, it would be impossible for us to hold our heads high as the continent’s greatest group. People would say that we can’t even properly serve the Saintess.”

This was another challenge. If they had continued to insist on me learning divine magic, I could have easily refused. But now they were speaking in a gentler tone, making it difficult for me to maintain my position.

‘People actually may doubt me if I didn’t know the fundamentals of the group as a Saintess.’

And Ravis being part of the group also made me loosen up a bit.

“Don’t you worry about that. High Priest Ravis will be my teacher.” I spoke up, with a hint of defiance in my voice.

The cardinal’s expression changed upon hearing this, his discontent written all over his face. It was clear that he had little regard for Ravis.

“It seems like he has not been fulfilling his duty of educating you, even though you’ve been a Saintess for several months now. I have my doubts about his ability to carry out this responsibility. Also, he hasn’t been telling the group where he has been.”

The cardinal’s words stung, but I refused to let it show. I couldn’t stand it when people spoke poorly of those close to me.

‘Ravis always helped me without wanting anything back. He is more qualified to be a priest than anyone else!’

I was clenching my teeth without them noticing.

“With due respect, he’s as dependable as a priest can get. He always helped me ever since I became a Saintess. The education has been delayed due to this war and not enough priests came with us so I had to learn the healing first.”

I basically told them it was their fault and remembered the image of saintess in the movie I’ve seen before and tried the religious greeting that Ravis always showed. The cardinals looked surprised as they didn’t seem to expect it.

It was that moment. Dylan started talking after listening quietly.

“May I say a word?”

Cardinal Bahan scowled as Sir Fortis spoke out of turn. The old cardinals, used to having the final say in all matters, tried to conceal their irritation at being interrupted. But, eventually, they relented and allowed Dylan to continue. It was clear that Sir Fortis was more than just a mere guard.

He approached me with a polite bow. “It’s been a while, Saintess,” he said, a hint of familiarity in his tone.

I felt a nervous twinge as I looked into his eyes. “Yes, it has,” I replied, feeling awkward in his presence.

His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he asked, “Do you feel threatened lately?”

“Huh? Ah, no I’m ok.”

I wasn’t expecting such question. Even though he wasn’t my guard, he seemed to be still worried about my safety. His face expression said it all.

“I was worried about you the entire time. Do you know how worried I was past month?”

I flinched at his sincere comment. It seemed like I remembered when he was trying to take me to the center temple a month ago.

“You don’t know when the threat of being kidnapped or murdered could happen.  Even if we try our best here or in the capital, there’s a limit. But if it’s the center temple, it’s a different story.”

Dylan frowned slightly.

“There’s a bit of demonic power here and palace as well. So no matter how high quality of divine defense we put up, there’s going to be a hole. That’s why the cardinals want to escort you to the temple. It’s all for your safety.”

I flinched at his persuasion. I immediately knew that the faint demonic power was Ridrian.

‘No, I can’t be rash. It could be Piett’s, or the magical barrier at the basement of the palace.’

I slowly shook my head.

“I’m a Saintess but also His Majesty’s secretary. I can’t give up either position.”

He stared at me again. It seemed like he was trying to see whether my comment was for meeting purpose or my actual intention.

“Even if your life is threatened?”

“Of course.”

I suddenly felt something grabbing my hand. I was surprised and tried to take the hand away but felt that it was familiar and realized that it was Ridrian.

“Let’s stop here.”

“Your Majesty.”

As Ridrian finally spoke, everyone looked at him. He looked like a very satisfied predator.

“You don’t think I could protect my secretary.”

Dylan’s eyes became more aggressive. “She was actually kidnapped, Your Majesty.”

But Ridrian very casually rebutted.

“That’s because you didn’t guard her well.”

“That’s…” Dylan couldn’t continue as it seems like he thought it was his fault as well.

Ridrian was quite casual and looked at the three cardinals and Dylan.

“I don’t care what you think and call Secretary Lesprey, but she is a great secretary of mine. I have no intention of letting such good employee go.”

The cardinals were triggered as the emperor declared he won’t let me go.

“Your Majesty, how can you put such personal feeling into such important decision! This is tyranny that ignores the Theres group’s dignity.”

Ridrian’s eyes narrowed at Cardinal Bahan’s words. I felt that temperature of the room dropped a few degrees.

“You talk too recklessly. Cardinal, did you forget where we are?”